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Old 18th November 2022, 11:31   #16
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15 year young Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

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Originally Posted by vigsom View Post
Day1 (Contd.)
Surprise #1

While crossing Thane, I was put onto a flyover and directed to turn the logical left on the flyover and proceed towards the Pune road via Mumbra. Now this was surprising since I know that I should have gone the Airoli - Sanpada route. I trusted Google Maps with giving me the right information, but did feel let down. Why? Because maps directed me through the main Mumbra market road, with speed breakers every 10 meters, and by the time I was out of Mumbra, I'd already had enough. However, I didn't stop and kept going until I was out of Kalamboli, which was a cool 2 hours after I'd turned left onto Ghodbunder Road from the Vasai bridge.
Did a quick check on google maps for directions from Taloja to Thane. It do seems that gmaps saved you on distance ( close 7 kms ) and time ( 5 mins ).

If I wish to override gmaps, I usually add a destination point between my actual destinations. When the destination point is reached, i just click on 'Continue' on the screen and gmaps continues to the next one on my travel.

My $0.02
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Old 18th November 2022, 11:32   #17
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re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Excellent post as always. But sir don't we get more tired due to riding with open windows(and the resultant windblast) than with the ac and without the ac doesn't the car become a four wheeled oven.
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Old 18th November 2022, 12:12   #18
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re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Great trip. Always enjoyable to do a solo trip.

By the way, on your route, you could have taken a slight detour of around 4 km at Silvassa and refuelled at HP coco pump, where petrol is atleast 10-12 rupees cheaper than Maharashtra prices. This is where I go on my Mumbai-Ahmedabad trips.
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Old 18th November 2022, 12:21   #19
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re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Very well written and a truly touching bevy of insights. Some of the warnings about relying on google is indeed true and I end up switching between my Kia navigation and google to get an median sense of which route should be taken.

Am planning my own ride from Mumbai to Trivandrum in December and the info on fuel and food stops is very useful. Thanks for including that. Great pictures as well showing you did take time to appreciate the views.

Wishing you many more happy rides and now that you have done it impromptu once, never shy again the next time the bug bites you and you feel the need to do a long drive again.
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Old 18th November 2022, 12:30   #20
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re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Great write-up with many relatable parts.
This reinforced the need to take a battery bank notwithstanding in-car charging options

On the point of route planning which also takes care of breaks, I have been (of late) plotting stops on my route (preferably LHS joints on the basis of some cursory reviews). The route (with stops) is saved on my phone prior to the trip so that I just hit one button while setting out (it can also be recovered even if the phone restarts). I give many of the halts a miss but they turn up on my map just in case

Valid point on stretch breaks, the open space immediately after a toll is a safe spot (off the lanes) and it also pays to do a quick walk around to check if all 4 tyres 'look' ok
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Old 18th November 2022, 14:59   #21
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Thanks for the detailed write up @ vigsom. Just wanted to know your starting point, is it Vadodara?
Am planning a trip from Coimbatore to Mt Abu and back in March 23 and collating inputs.
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Old 18th November 2022, 18:02   #22
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Wonderful log vigsom! Incidentally exactly an year before around the same week of November, I too was driving back from Rajkot to Bangalore, and solo and we met. Every part of the drive you narrated and the pictures you shared reminds me that I need to crank and drive up there sometime soon .

Well you really managed the show absolutely fantastically; needless to say, interest levels especially with highways and roads apart from driving to take up such journeys matter a lot!

You should have had no apprehension on your reliable steed at all for you have been taking utmost care of it as I have seen. It did remind me of my drive on the Golden Quadrilateral that we embarked on when the Odo reading itself was 1.65L km and all I did was to visit the ASC to retorque the under-chassis fasteners, precisely the lower arms and stabilizer bar bushes and next day we just drove!

By the way, loved catching up, yet again in Bengaluru. Your GV is immaculately maintained and I loved the attention to detail this car had got by Suzuki for smallest of things be that rear parcel tray or the controls. No wonder GV continues to have a great fan following even today.
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Old 18th November 2022, 18:38   #23
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

This is a travelogue worth reading carefully for all newbie highway drivers who plan to venture out for their first 1000-km (and similar) trips, about what to do and what not to do.

@vigsom: Your careful planning and having @paragsachania & @sridhar-v as virtual guides on the phone would have gone a long way in enhancing the safety quotient of your trip. Deciding to restrict your speed throughout the trip is probably the sanest thing to do on any roadtrip. Despite your being alone in a reasonably fast car, driving slower than surrounding traffic is very tough, and kudos to your patience and perseverance in doing so.
Quote:
...the car becomes an oven, and the windblast can get noisy, especially past 100kmph. I was below that so it was tolerable. For me, driving non-AC for the most part was to test my endurance.
Quote:
I hadn't peed for 6 hours
This one process you followed - that of keeping the AC off - is perhaps something I would not agree with. The more comfortable you are while driving, the better focussed you are on the road. In addition, at steady speeds of 60-90 km/h, you are likely to get better FE with the windows rolled up and the compressor running and cutting out as the car remains cool (no doors being opened for hours on end). OTOH, without the AC, the wind and heat dehydrate the body much faster, and your not having a full bladder after 6 hours on the road is a sign of that.

How were you using GMap without a car charger and a phone holder? It would have been easy to pick up a compatible car charger and cable from Pune, I suppose.

Regarding following GMap, ensure that it shows alternative routes with times as well as the route it wants you to follow. If the map is leading you into a narrow road off the highway / main road, and the alternative shows a time difference of less than 15 minutes, follow the main road and ignore the on-screen suggestion. Better still, ask a local. GMap may just be trying to bypass a perceived traffic jam (a lot of trucks standing still), or saving you 1.15 km and / or 2 minutes on your journey distance from point to point, or the road ahead may well have disappeared in a deluge. The local chap would know.
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Washroom at Amar - as soon as one gets in, the all black interiors get one confused. Where is the urinal?
Sparkling polished black granite or tiles and mirrors as loo decor is quite the rage at many places, whether in city malls or highway eateries - indeed, it's sometimes confusing to find the exit!
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I'd look out to confirm if there were no vehicles within a hundred feet of me (back or front), and then put on the hazard warning lights and take a quick picture from the mobile on the holder.
Makes sense to have a dashcam and a dedicated small still camera for these spur-of-the-moment photographs. And while you are about it, having a TPMS installed in one's car before embarking on such roadtrips is an excellent idea.
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Old 18th November 2022, 19:06   #24
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Very neatly written travelogue.. it reminds me of my yearly trips (to drop and then to pick up my wife and kid) to Nashik/Pune.... Solo driving is so relaxing and, the best part is, we can change plans at our on whims
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Old 18th November 2022, 19:34   #25
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

The twist and turn at the start sets the nervous mood of this journey. It felt like reading some 18 year old enthusiastic first out of town 200km solo journey and an over cautious 60 year old's paranoia at the same time.

A very good read. Long solo car drives should be carefully planned like yours. 5 years back I would have started at 11 PM in night and halted at 10 AM somewhere. Now I know better and start early after a good night's sleep. The one thing I like to do in afternoon is to eat heavy, it gives one enough energy to keep going on.
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Old 19th November 2022, 11:39   #26
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

great narrative and attention to detail which makes for a wonderful travelogue. There's no better kick then doing a long solo drive. I am planning to drive down the same route in Nov end and your pointers, specially on gmaps will help me stay on course.
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Old 19th November 2022, 13:40   #27
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15 year young Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

3. Review the route recommended by GMaps and take a call, especially if the route is moving through internal roads

Have you tried the Mappl maps ever for your drives. Are they more effective/realistic compared to Google / Apple Maps. I find Apple Maps on CarPlay to be the best, although tbh I only drive Mumbai-Pune, but in terms of Route selection to avoid traffic and time estimation is what I mean

A significant factor I was told by a pal today about using the maps is to use it at the same time that one is planning to do the drive. That way one gets the best route and time forecast. The simulation works best when the inputs are an exact match
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Old 19th November 2022, 16:53   #28
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

I'm so happy to read about this roadtrip @vigsom sir! I know how much care you've put into maintaining your GV and to see it happily on the highway all the way to Banglore is a journey that brings a lot of joy. Congratulations to you and your beloved ride and thank you for sharing your experiences in such detail. As the saying goes, wishing you and your GV many more joyous miles!
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Old 19th November 2022, 19:24   #29
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15-year young Suzuki Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

I absolutely admire your courage in taking the Grand Vitara over such a long distance!
Well composed travelogue and I look forward to seeing more adventures from your end. Cheers!
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Old 21st November 2022, 18:12   #30
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Re: Gujarat to Karnataka in a 15 year young Grand Vitara | The drive of my life

Quote:
Originally Posted by vigsom View Post
Key Takeaways
3. Review the route recommended by GMaps and take a call, especially if the route is moving through internal roads
Fantastic read as ever from you, Vigsom. Have come to expect nothing less from you.

I did the exact same route before Doddaballpur that you did just two weeks prior to you, thanks to Google Maps.
It relies on people's mobile phones to track routes. And I have noticed these random obscure routes it takes us through.

I realised it uses most frequently used route in between these places, which is by 2-wheelers and not 4-wheelers.

I understood this when I landed up inside the heart of a tiny village while trying to find a detour to a main road. The path it showed was in between two houses that a pregnant cow would be scraping the walls of walking through. And all bikes from the village use that lane because the tarred road is 5 kms longer.

It helps to stop and check routes that Google advises and choose a far more navigable route. It does the same thing inside the city.
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